Name, No Birthday

In an orphanage in Kalkuta (formerly Calcutta), India tonight there is an infant girl without a name. Apparently, she, and hundreds of others, will never live long enough to "need" a name. You can read more about her here.

Right now, there is a diverse team of individuals who are on a Compassion International trip in India. This special group is learning all about the mission of Compassion by seeing firsthand how the organization is fighting poverty and spreading the love of Jesus Christ in the far reaches of our world. Truly, their stories are amazing to read.

Many of the bloggers on the trip are writers I routinely follow, so I have known about this trip for several months. In the early days, when it was first being mentioned, I felt compelled to go to the Compassion site and do some research on its mission. Throughout the next several weeks, I felt the Holy Spirit tugging at my heart, encouraging me to do more.

That's when I began looking at the faces of the children in need of sponsors; children whose lives would be drastically changed if I would just send $32 a month. I must have scanned through those faces forty times, and, every time, I would have to turn off the computer with tears in my eyes. How could I choose just one?

As the weeks went on and the Compassion trip was getting closer, my heart was still longing to make a difference. After all, I have been blessed with a healthy, happy little boy and will welcome a sweet baby girl into my family in three weeks. Out of gratitude to God for what He has given me, if for no other reason, I knew I needed to sponsor one of these precious children. I just didn't know how to decide.

One thing I'd learned in my quest to find the perfect child to sponsor was that I was drawn to the children in Africa, particularly the girls. They live in such a difficult environment with HIV/AIDS spreading rampantly. The need for medical attention, education, and, most importantly, the gospel is more than evident.

Finally, I found a way in which I could request that Compassion pick the child for me, but I was able to specify that I wanted an African female. Excellent. I knew between the wonderful folks at Compassion and the hand of God, I'd be able to sponsor a little girl and make a difference in her life.

I am honored to introduce you to my Compassion child, Selina Quaye:




Is she not absolutely precious?? Selina lives in a coastal town in Ghana, and, while she certainly has a name, her actual birth date is unknown. She was born sometime in September of 2003, so she's five years old. Selina lives with her father and mother and has five other siblings. She does well in kindergarten, and, through Compassion, she regularly attends church activities and Bible class.

I adore her to pieces already.

I hope you will add Selina and her family to your prayers today. She needs God's love and protection, and I pray that He will see to it that she becomes a young lady who knows her Lord and Savior.

I feel so blessed by the two children God has given me. Children who were given names long before we saw their faces. Children whose birthdays we'll never forget. Children who have medical attention when it's needed, food on the table, a roof over their heads, clothes to cover their bodies, and plenty of opportunities to learn about Jesus.

I only wish every child in the world was as fortunate.

What could you do to make a difference? Please consider browsing through those sweet faces on the Compassion site and see if there is a child whose life you could change. I promise, you won't regret it.

In the meantime, if you'd like to follow the bloggers' reports from India (and be incredibly blessed by their stories), click here.